Information Society and the Workplace PDF Download

Author: Prof Jeff Hearn
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134484577
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Much has been written on the grand prospects for "Information Society"; much less on what this might mean in everyday terms. So what do we find when we look at what is happening in a society, Finland, that is one of closest to an information society? Bringing together studies of everyday local practices in workplaces within information society, this book has a special focus on social space and the agency of actors. It includes both theoretical reviews and detailed qualitative research. It also highlights the political challenges of the information society, challenges which are likely to become subjects of international concern.

Author: Kai A. Olsen
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0810887215
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 655

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Book Description
Information Technology (IT) is conquering the world. It affects our jobs, our lives as private citizens, and society. Its impact is greater than other technologies, such as railways, personal cars, and the telephone. However, while most can understand the potential and constraints of these technologies, IT is often experienced as a “black box,” producing its effects without giving a clue as to how they are achieved. The aim of How Information Technology Is Conquering the World is to open this box and to offer a basic knowledge of the technology and how it works. We will then understand why IT can put toll both operators, metro train engineers, and stockbrokers out of a job, but at the same time have limited impact on bus drivers, nurses, and teachers. How Information Technology Is Conquering the World focuses on the interface between the technologies and the real world in order to explore not only where these technologies have their advantages but also where their limitations become apparent. The difficulty of introducing a new technology is emphasized with the practical goal of enabling readers to use technology to full advantage. This book is useful for those involved in, affected by, or interested in the technology; for students taking an introductory course in computing; and for managers and others who are interested in seeing how this rapidly evolving technology will affect their lives, jobs, and businesses now and in the future.

Author: Wilfried Beirnaert
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041122524
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
A generation ago, temporary work was practically outlawed. During the 1950s, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) clearly stated (in request to a question from the Swedish government) that temporary agency work was prohibited by ILO Convention 96 regarding fee-charging placement. Trade unions, of course, were in complete agreement, both because temporary work arrangements undermined the situation of permanent workers and deprived the temporary workers themselves of equal treatment guarantees. Yet persistent employers, always ready to find ways around this prohibition, have gone from strength to strength until today the role of private employment services is offered up to the public as that of an active link between employer and employee and an equal benefit to both. It is even defended as a force that effects the social integration of long-term unemployed, even of non-qualified or less-qualified workers. It is indeed along these lines that the proposed European directive on the working conditions of temporary workers justifies its requirement of Member States to discontinue any restrictions or prohibitions on temporary work for certain groups of workers, sectors or areas of economic activity. But how justifiable is this idea of the generalized leasing of employees? How acceptable is it under both labour law and social justice considerations? Although these important questions have been asked repeatedly for many years, no answers acceptable to all parties have yet been found. Accordingly, in April 2003 a group of outstanding authorities- practitioners, ILO officials, academics, policymakers, jurists, and labour experts-met in Brussels to reconsider these issues in light of the ongoing discussion on the proposed directive and the major labour market developments which have taken place in many countries over the last few years. Among the considerations raised there (and recorded in this book) are the following:the potential role of private employment agencies as fully integrated manpower providers;the wages and working conditions of workers who are put at the disposal of users;guarantees of equal treatment and other social protection provisions for temporary workers;the possible development of a dual-employer scheme of agency and user; and, continuing work 'diversification' and its acceptability to the various actors and interests involved. These papers, reports and panels merit great attention because the matters they discuss will determine the way our labour markets-at national, European and international level-will function for years to come. No practitioner, policymaker, or academic in the field of employment and labour relations can afford to ignore this very significant book. This volume contains reports given at the International Conference on Temporary Agency Work and the Information Society, held on 28-29 April 2003 at the Royal Flemish Academy, Brussels, and sponsored jointly by the Academy, the Euro-Japan Institute for Law and Business, and the Society for International and Social Cooperation.

Author: Pasi Pyöriä
Publisher: University of Tampere
ISBN: 9514463846
Category : Information society
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Offers a critical perspective on knowledge work, arguing that the rise of knowledge work is not only an economic or managerial issue, it reflects a major social and cultural transformation comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Sheds light on the everyday realities of knowledge work, with empirical evidence from Finland.

Author: Ken Ducatel
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780847695898
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
This text offers an examination of a range of technological issues at stake in the European Union. It discerns social trends but finds there is considerable room to use the technologies as a force for social change.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309045835
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Quick introduction of new technology is essential to America's competitiveness. But the success of new systems depends on their acceptance by the people who will use them. This new volume presents practical information for managers trying to meld the best in human and technological resources. The volume identifies factors that are critical to successful technology introduction and examines why America lags behind many other countries in this effort. Case studies document successful transitions to new systems and procedures in manufacturing, medical technology, and office automationâ€"ranging from the Boeing Company's program to involve employees in decision making and process design, to the introduction of alternative work schedules for Mayo Clinic nurses. This volume will be a practical resource for managers, researchers, faculty, and students in the fields of industry, engineering design, human resources, labor relations, sociology, and organizational behavior.

Author: Jacques J. Berleur
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0387353275
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
Many challenges lie ahead in the development of a global information society. Culture and democracy are two areas which may be under particular threat. The book reflects on today's complex and uncertain cultural and democratic developments arising as a result of an increasingly global, technologically-connected world. In particular it focuses on the Internet, examining new metaphors for communication, defining the issues at stake and proposing options, actions and solutions. Among the issues discussed were: multi-cultural developments; cultural sensitivities and the involvement of cultural minorities; generation gaps; gender issues; technology access for the elderly and the disabled; technology transfer.

Author: Frank Webster
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0415282012
Category : Communication
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Popular opinion suggests that information has become a distinguishing feature of the modern world. Where once economies were built on industry and conquest, we are now instead said to be part of a global information economy. In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his popular book, author Webster brings his work up-to-date both with new theoretical work and with social and technological changes - such as the rapid growth of the internet and accelerated globalization - and reassesses the work of key theorists in light of these changes. This book is essential reading for students of contemporary social theory and anybody interested in social and technological change in the post-war era.

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309454050
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Recent years have yielded significant advances in computing and communication technologies, with profound impacts on society. Technology is transforming the way we work, play, and interact with others. From these technological capabilities, new industries, organizational forms, and business models are emerging. Technological advances can create enormous economic and other benefits, but can also lead to significant changes for workers. IT and automation can change the way work is conducted, by augmenting or replacing workers in specific tasks. This can shift the demand for some types of human labor, eliminating some jobs and creating new ones. Information Technology and the U.S. Workforce explores the interactions between technological, economic, and societal trends and identifies possible near-term developments for work. This report emphasizes the need to understand and track these trends and develop strategies to inform, prepare for, and respond to changes in the labor market. It offers evaluations of what is known, notes open questions to be addressed, and identifies promising research pathways moving forward.

Author: Philip Leith
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351908774
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 702

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Book Description
Information society projects promise wealth and better services to those countries which digitise and encourage the consumer and citizen to participate. As paper recedes into the background and digital data becomes the primary resource in the information society, what does this mean for privacy? Can there be privacy when every communication made through ever-developing ubiquitous devices is recorded? Data protection legislation developed as a reply to large scale centralised databases which contained incorrect data and where data controllers denied access and refused to remedy information flaws. Some decades later the technical world is very different one, and whilst data protection remains important, the cries for more privacy-oriented regulation in commerce and eGov continue to rise. What factors should underpin the creation of new means of regulation? The papers in this collection have been drawn together to develop the positive and negative effects upon the information society which privacy regulation implies.